editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Wade Goodwyn is a NPR National Desk Correspondent covering Texas and the surrounding states.Reporting for NPR since 1991, Goodwyn covers a wide range of issues from politics and music to breaking news and crime and punishment. His reports have ranged from weather calamities, religion, and corruption, to immigration, obituaries, business, and high profile court cases. Texas has it all, and Goodwyn has covered it.Over the last 15 years, Goodwyn has reported on many of the nation's top stories. He's covered the implosion of Enron, the trials of Jeff Skilling and Kenneth Lay, and the prosecution of polygamist Warren Jeffs. Goodwyn's reporting has included the siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, and the trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in Denver. He covered the Olympic Games in Atlanta and the school shootings in Paducah Ky., Jonesboro, Ark., and Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.Among his most recent work hasNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Wade GoodwynThu, 27 Oct 2016 19:14:32 +0000Wade Goodwynhttp://wmot.org
Wade GoodwynIt's called sticking to your guns to the noble and bitter end, and it's almost certainly what the Senate majority is going to do when it comes to refusing to even consider President Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland.But after the final presidential debate and, given the strong possibility that Hillary Clinton wins the presidency — unless something drastic happens — is this continued refusal to act on the Garland nomination a smart move for conservatives? After all, Garland is seen as a judicial moderate, and Clinton has not committed to renominating him if she wins.There's a case to be made that if the GOP wants to salvage the most conservative possible Supreme Court in a year that could see not only a Clinton presidential win but a Democratic takeover of the Senate, it should consider Garland.Jennifer Duffy at the Cook Political Report all but gives the Senate to Democrats, forecasting a likely pickup for them now of five to seven seats. (If Clinton wins,The Case For Republicans To Consider Merrick Garland's Nominationhttp://wmot.org/post/case-republicans-consider-merrick-garlands-nomination
71776 as http://wmot.orgThu, 27 Oct 2016 18:04:00 +0000The Case For Republicans To Consider Merrick Garland's NominationWade GoodwynPolls show the presidential race in Texas is closer than it's been in decades, some even showing the two candidates within the margin of error.Does Hillary Clinton actually stand a chance in Texas? It's unlikely, but it could be closer than at any time in the last 20 years. The reason for how competitive the race looks lies in two demographic groups — Republican-leaning suburban women offended by Trump's comments about women and Latinos, who are fired up to vote against him.Suburban women cool to TrumpPart of the answer might be found in the suburbs of Dallas. Jody Rushton is the former president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, and currently serves as precinct chair in Plano. This upper, middle-class, predominately white suburban community is fertile Republican territory, and Rushton has been their party liaison for many, many years.Two doors down, Charlene Collins is worried about the election. Rushton asks her what's motivating her to vote. Collins says one issue inWhy Texas Is Closer To Turning Blue Than It Has Been In Decadeshttp://wmot.org/post/battleground-texas-could-hillary-clinton-actually-win-lone-star-state
71744 as http://wmot.orgWed, 26 Oct 2016 20:47:00 +0000Why Texas Is Closer To Turning Blue Than It Has Been In DecadesWade GoodwynThey congregated in VFW halls and sports bars, private homes and the back rooms of restaurants — Americans gathered to watch Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump finally go toe to toe.Or to see how the Atlanta Falcons fared against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome.One contest or the other, the seductive glow of large flat panels drew more than the usual contingent of moths to their Monday night flames.The Clinton crowdAt the Hi Tops bar in San Francisco, a crowd of about 100 Democrats toted a Skittles-filled Trump piñata upstairs to help them root on the former secretary of state. Equal parts gay and straight, male and female, the predominately college-educated, professional crowd was both animated and anxious.This politically savvy group was all too aware that the latest polls show Clinton and Trump in a statistical tie. Their candidate's commanding lead has evaporated like a half-inch-deep puddle in the Texas heat, and the possibility of a Trump victory, once a joke, is no longerAcross The Country, Fascination And Indifference On Debate Nighthttp://wmot.org/post/across-country-fascination-and-indifference-debate-night
70317 as http://wmot.orgTue, 27 Sep 2016 05:27:00 +0000Across The Country, Fascination And Indifference On Debate NightWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Dallas Police Chief David Brown Announces Retirementhttp://wmot.org/post/dallas-police-chief-david-brown-announces-retirement
69192 as http://wmot.orgThu, 01 Sep 2016 20:28:00 +0000Dallas Police Chief David Brown Announces RetirementWade GoodwynIt's been almost a month since Micah Xavier Johnson murdered five Dallas police officers and wounded nine others following a protest march. In the days that followed, the city's white mayor, Mike Rawlings, and black police chief, David Brown, appeared together openly grieving, offering words of consolation and praising the bravery of their officers.In one memorable moment, Brown offered an invitation to the city's young people: "We're hiring, we're hiring. Get off that protest line and put an application in. And we'll put you in your neighborhood, we will help you resolve some of the problems you're protesting about."Since then the Dallas Police Department has been getting an average of 40 applications every day.Ironically, in the year before the shooting, Brown had been subject to pointed criticism that he was not a strong enough advocate for the department.Pay is the main issue, and Dallas police officers have been abandoning ship in stunning numbers. Since Oct. 1, 2015, some 219Dallas Police Recruitment Call Answered, But Pay Issues Are A Concernhttp://wmot.org/post/dallas-police-recruitment-call-answered-pay-issues-are-concern
67787 as http://wmot.orgWed, 03 Aug 2016 23:36:00 +0000Dallas Police Recruitment Call Answered, But Pay Issues Are A ConcernWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Law Enforcement Continue Probe Into Deadly Ambush On Dallas Policehttp://wmot.org/post/law-enforcement-continue-probe-deadly-ambush-dallas-police
66923 as http://wmot.orgMon, 11 Jul 2016 22:38:00 +0000Law Enforcement Continue Probe Into Deadly Ambush On Dallas PoliceWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Dallas Attack Special Coverage: 'The City Is Devastated'http://wmot.org/post/dallas-attack-special-coverage-city-devastated
66796 as http://wmot.orgFri, 08 Jul 2016 17:00:00 +0000Dallas Attack Special Coverage: 'The City Is Devastated'Wade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Texans React To Supreme Court's Ruling On State Abortion Lawhttp://wmot.org/post/texans-react-supreme-courts-ruling-state-abortion-law
66449 as http://wmot.orgMon, 27 Jun 2016 22:30:00 +0000Texans React To Supreme Court's Ruling On State Abortion LawWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Texas Conservatives Decry White House Transgender Guidelines For Schoolshttp://wmot.org/post/texas-conservatives-decry-white-house-transgender-guidelines-schools
65052 as http://wmot.orgFri, 13 May 2016 20:27:00 +0000Texas Conservatives Decry White House Transgender Guidelines For SchoolsWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Supreme Court Lets Texas Voter ID Law Stand — For Nowhttp://wmot.org/post/supreme-court-lets-texas-voter-id-law-stand-now
64620 as http://wmot.orgSat, 30 Apr 2016 21:08:00 +0000Supreme Court Lets Texas Voter ID Law Stand — For NowWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Despite Federal Court Rulings, Texas' Voter ID Laws Remain In Placehttp://wmot.org/post/despite-federal-court-rulings-texas-voter-id-laws-remain-place
63983 as http://wmot.orgMon, 11 Apr 2016 20:31:00 +0000Despite Federal Court Rulings, Texas' Voter ID Laws Remain In PlaceWade Goodwyn"My friends, it's Saturday night, this is an emergency transmission. Associate Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia died earlier today at a ranch outside Big Bend in South Texas. ... The question is, was Anthony Scalia murdered?"So begins conservative talk show host Alex Jones' Internet video. Jones then quickly answered his dramatic query "Has the Bill of Rights and the Constitution been murdered?" Yes, he says, yes they have. Jones' video has been watched more than 400,000 times and served as a national wake-up call for those who can't/won't/don't believe that Scalia died of natural causes."This is the season of treason," Jones says in the broadcast. "This is the time of betrayal. ... We know there is a foreign offshore coup over this country. ... This is hard-core." When law enforcement authorities quickly reported that Scalia's death appeared to be from natural causes, that was a major red flag for Jones. "I wonder if Clarence Thomas will die of a heart attack next week?" he asked,Scalia And Leonard Nimoy: Justice's Death Spurs Conspiracy Theories http://wmot.org/post/scalia-and-leonard-nimoy-justices-death-spurs-conspiracy-theories
61985 as http://wmot.orgTue, 16 Feb 2016 21:10:00 +0000Scalia And Leonard Nimoy: Justice's Death Spurs Conspiracy Theories Wade GoodwynFor the past five years, the Texas Legislature has done everything in its power to defund Planned Parenthood. But it's not so easy to target that organization without hurting family planning clinics around the state generally.Of the 82 clinics that have closed, only a third were Planned Parenthood.Midland Community Healthcare Services Clinic in West Texas is open, and every day it's three lines deep as women file in for treatment. The clinic's 15 examination rooms go full throttle all day but can't come close to satisfying demand. The numbers are harsh. In Texas, just 22 percent of childbearing-age women who qualify for subsidized preventive health care treatment actually get it.The latest family planning predicament began in 2011 when the Republican-dominated Legislature decided it was done, once and for all, funding Planned Parenthood. It eliminated funding for any clinic associated with an abortion provider even if the clinic itself didn't perform abortions. In the process, theTexans Try To Repair Damage Wreaked Upon Family Planning Clinicshttp://wmot.org/post/texas-tries-repair-damage-wreaked-upon-family-planning-clinics
61381 as http://wmot.orgThu, 28 Jan 2016 22:55:00 +0000Texans Try To Repair Damage Wreaked Upon Family Planning ClinicsWade GoodwynCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Grand Jury Indicts Anti-Abortion Activists Behind Planned Parenthood Videoshttp://wmot.org/post/grand-jury-indicts-anti-abortion-activists-behind-planned-parenthood-videos
61260 as http://wmot.orgTue, 26 Jan 2016 03:35:00 +0000Grand Jury Indicts Anti-Abortion Activists Behind Planned Parenthood VideosWade GoodwynThat the freshman senator from Texas had a good night onstage at the latest Republican debate surprises nobody anymore — Ted Cruz is poised, articulate and smart. He's gaining ground in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and he's positioning himself to capture supporters from Donald Trump or Ben Carson, should either falter. There's still a long way to go in this contest, but Cruz and his campaign are well-funded, well-organized and confident in his ability to outlast and overtake his rivals.Cruz's success is rooted in the idea that there's no such thing as too conservative, both inside electoral politics and in governing. Or if need be, not governing — history has shown he is fine with shutting the federal government down if it helps him acquire leverage over the opposition, be it Democrat or Republican. And when he runs for office, nobody gets to the right of Ted Cruz. That's how he's won.The senator likes very much where he is positioned now. In most priorAs His Moderate Rivals Are 'Ripping Each Other Apart,' Ted Cruz Sees An Inhttp://wmot.org/post/his-moderate-rivals-are-ripping-each-other-apart-ted-cruz-sees
58912 as http://wmot.orgThu, 12 Nov 2015 18:59:00 +0000As His Moderate Rivals Are 'Ripping Each Other Apart,' Ted Cruz Sees An InWade GoodwynTo walk into Ted Cruz's holding room at the National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday afternoon was to walk into quite the group of happy campers.With a friendly motion and a quick smile, the Republican Senator from Texas, looking relaxed in short sleeves, his foot up on the coffee table, waves you over to the chair beside him. It's just the tiniest bit unnerving, the notion flashes across your mind, "He knows I'm with NPR, right?"Yes, everyone knows who you are, and in spite of Cruz's brilliantly recalled denunciations of the liberal media during CNBC's debate, they're just fine with it. This is a political campaign brimming with confidence and a strong sense of momentum. Nobody here's afraid of little ol' me.During a wide-ranging interview, the freshman senator laid out his vision for America and his presidency if elected:Abolish the IRS and institute a flat taxDispatch the FBI and Justice Dept. lawyers to prosecute Planned Parenthood for fraudInvestigateTed Cruz Lying In Wait For His Next Momenthttp://wmot.org/post/ted-cruz-lying-wait-his-next-moment
58746 as http://wmot.orgSat, 07 Nov 2015 18:42:00 +0000Ted Cruz Lying In Wait For His Next MomentWade GoodwynWhen you don't know the facts of a given incident, it's human nature to attempt to fill them in yourself. But in the case of Bowe Bergdahl, there's no way you could concoct the narrative the Army's two-month investigation uncovered.According to the testimony of Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, who led the 22-member team during the investigation, Bergdahl, who was a private first class at the time, quietly slipped away from his bunk and sneaked out of Forward Operating Post Mest in eastern Afghanistan on the night of June 30, 2009.Left behind, stowed neatly atop his bed, were his rifle and night vision goggles. The platoon was due to be rotated out the next morning to a larger base for a little break.So when Lt. John Billings was awakened by one of his men at the crack of dawn to tell him they couldn't find Bergdahl, he figured it was a prank. The post was about the size of a football field, and beyond the wire the area teemed with Taliban.This was a joke, right?Nope. To everyone's complete,The Very Strange Case Of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahlhttp://wmot.org/post/very-strange-case-sgt-bowe-bergdahl
57117 as http://wmot.orgThu, 24 Sep 2015 15:45:00 +0000The Very Strange Case Of Sgt. Bowe BergdahlWade GoodwynCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit ARUN RATH, HOST: The fate of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is now in the hands of his superior officers. An Article 32 hearing was held this week at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. That's the preceding that will determine whether or not Bergdahl will face a court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. If convicted, Bergdahl could be sentenced to life in prison. NPR's Wade Goodwyn has been covering the hearing and has this report.WADE GOODWYN, BYLINE: By far the most serious charge Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could face is the allegation of misbehavior before the enemy. That's the charge that brings with it the threat of life in prison. The Article 32 hearing was to decide whether or not Bergdahl should be court-martialed, and if so, on one or both of the charges. Desertion brings the possibility of five years in prison. Misbehavior before the enemy is a very unusual charge. In the past, it's mostly been used when soldiers don't doThe Fate Of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Now In The Hands Of His Superiorshttp://wmot.org/post/fate-sgt-bowe-bergdahl-now-hands-his-superiors
56925 as http://wmot.orgSat, 19 Sep 2015 21:02:00 +0000The Fate Of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Now In The Hands Of His SuperiorsWade GoodwynArmy Sgt. Robert "Bowe" Bergdahl will be in a military courtroom in Texas Thursday, for the start of a hearing that will determine if he will face a court-martial on desertion and other charges. He could face a sentence of life in prison.Whether the military proceeds with a court-martial will hinge, in part, on the events of the night of June 30, 2009. That's when Bergdahl went missing from his unit's outpost in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan. Initially, Sgt. Bergdahl claimed in a Taliban video that he was captured when he lagged behind on patrol. U.S. military radio intercepts of conversations between insurgents that were later released by WikiLeaks reported that the Taliban said they captured Bergdahl while he was squatting, going to the latrine.Some soldiers who served with the sergeant claim he walked off the base as a deserter, although other soldiers in his unit said Bergdahl sometime talked of wanting to get off the base just so he could walk around the mountainousArmy To Open A Hearing On Former Taliban Prisoner, An Accused Deserterhttp://wmot.org/post/army-open-hearing-former-taliban-prisoner-accused-deserter
56817 as http://wmot.orgWed, 16 Sep 2015 22:31:00 +0000Army To Open A Hearing On Former Taliban Prisoner, An Accused DeserterWade GoodwynDonald Trump's rallies tend to feel more like a playoff game or music concert than electoral politics. There's an expectation of entertainment — older couples are dressed up, and people are friendly and excited. Monday night's large rally at a basketball arena in Dallas was no exception."He's telling me everything I want to hear. I'm for change; I'm fed up with the 30 years of empty suits in Washington," said Brian Markum, an energy consultant who came to the rally with his wife.Outside the arena, thousands of mostly white Trump supporters streamed past about 1,000 Hispanic protesters holding a fiesta complete with music and Trump pinatas, chanting, "This is America."The 20,000-seat arena was about three-quarters filled, and Trump sounded pleased."The silent majority, it's back, and it's not silent. I think we should call it — maybe we should call it the noisy, the aggressive, the wanting to win, wanting to win majority. That's what it is," Trump said.Much of the speech was a long riffAt Massive Dallas Rally, Trump's Speech Lacks Policyhttp://wmot.org/post/massive-dallas-rally-trumps-speech-lacks-policy
56772 as http://wmot.orgTue, 15 Sep 2015 22:55:00 +0000At Massive Dallas Rally, Trump's Speech Lacks Policy